I love to READ...in Math Class!

Here we are in February, also known as "I Love to Read Month" around these parts. It is a pretty big deal around here. Many local celebrities - radio/tv personalities, major league sports players, etc., head into classrooms/schools to read books to kids. The point of the campaign is the share a love of books and the importance of reading at all ages.

At our school we schedule "read-ins" where the librarian allows us to bring our team of students to the library for a whole morning or afternoon, just to read! The kids love it, as they wear their pajamas, and bring their pillows and blankets with them.  It is always a challenge for some students to read quietly for that length of time, so we stop in the middle for snacks and to switch up reading materials. The best part, I get to sit and read too!

So...how do I tie this into my math class?
...I read of course. I have to admit my students look a little perplexed when they sit down and I tell them that they get to sit back and relax while I read them a book.

"Huh? Why are you reading us a book? Isn't this Math class?"

Integrating literature of any kind into your math lesson is always a great change of pace for your students. At first they might think it is strange to be reading in math, but by the end they always enjoy it! 

Over the course of this month I am going to share a few of my favorite books that I integrate into my math lessons along with some activities I have created to accompany them.

Here are some of the books I will be highlighting this month:

* Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links*

Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be sharing my list of must-have books for the grade 1-5 Math classroom.

Math is Real Life - February 2015 Edition

 I am happy to once again join up with the fabulous linky hosted by Miss Math Dork, 4mulafun, The Teacher Studio, and Teaching to Inspire in 5th! 

My use of math this month doesn't actually include any numbers, but as we know there is so much more to math than just the numbers. This month's post is all about logical thinking and problem solving.

So my 3 year old son, like most young boys, has a love for Thomas the train. For his second Christmas my husband made him an amazing train table, complete with the island of Sodor (where Thomas lives for those of you that have never had to sit through an episode). He used it off and on and the table was a main piece of furniture in his room until recently. Seeing that his love of Thomas seemed to be fading we decided to move the table downstairs to the play area to make room for other things in his bedroom.

Well, a change of location seems to have peaked his interest again, because every time we come downstairs he wants to make a train track. When he was younger we often heard the phrase, "mommy/daddy, can you make me a train track?", which has evolved into, "mommy/daddy, can you help me make a train track?", which will hopefully, one day become, "mommy/daddy, look at the train track I built!".

So how does building train tracks relate to math? A lot!

First of all, my son quickly discovered that there were a lot more possibilities if we built the track on the floor, that way he wasn't restricted by the perimeter of the table.

He would often start with a plan of what elements he wanted in his track, i.e. the loop, the mountain, bridges, junctions, etc. From those elements we would start to build.

Once you start building you will quickly realize that it does take a little bit of thought, you need to think ahead to how you want the track to look and how you are going to be able to make it a complete track.

The beginning stages are pretty easy, but when you get down to the end of actually connecting everything together, it takes a little problem solving. Often times, we would have to backtrack and make a few adjustments in order to make it work, but in the end we created some pretty neat tracks.

 Now we just need to problem solve a little more, and figure out a way to prevent his baby brother from destroying the track 5 minutes after we build it!

The best part of the whole thing, other than spending time with my son, is sitting back, and just watching him deep in thought. I could honestly see his brain working when we got to those last few pieces of track! From very young he has always been a very logical thinker. He has always been happier figuring out how a toy works, rather than actually playing with it!


So, here we are a little later, and the train track phase is fading once again. So what do I have planned to keep him busy and thinking next month? He discovered a maze in one of his activity books and has been hooked ever since. I found a great site to print off free ones here, then realized that I was wasting a lot of paper. So, being a teacher, I remembered that I just so happen to own a laminator. So here we are making double-sided reusable mazes!

Mazes are a great activity to have on hand for those early finishers or just a break from the ordinary. I guarantee those reluctant learners who might "struggle with numbers" will love them.

I got a Makeover!

...well, I wish I got a makeover, but no such luck. Being on maternity leave, my usual look consists of a hoodie, yoga pants, and a ponytail!

...but...my blog getting a makeover is the next best thing!!

The talented Danielle at Crayon Box Designs brought my vision to life, and I am in LOVE.
To be honest it isn't at all what I had first envisioned, but after a few emails back and forth (I'm pretty sure she was ready to call it quits and be done with me at one point) this was the end result.

I love the chalkboard background with the primary colours! What do you think??

I wanted to celebrate my new look with a little giveaway...interested??

All you have to do is leave me a blog post, letting me know what grade you teach, and give me an idea for a topic you would love to read about on my new blog.

If you are selected, you will win a $20 shopping spree in my store!
If I receive more than 20 comments, I will pick extra winners for every additional 10 comments posted. Those selected will win a $10 shopping spree, so spread the word!

Good luck and, as always, thanks for following!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Math is Real Life - January 2015 edition

 I am happy to once again join up with the fabulous linky hosted by Miss Math Dork, 4mulafun, The Teacher Studio, and Teaching to Inspire in 5th! 

I recently had a follower contact me regarding my "Think you don't need Math?" poster, and ask me to make a few additions. I am aware that the number of jobs that require math are infinite, and I have tried to include as many as I can, but I couldn't believe that I had left one very important one out!

Stay at home parent!

Now, there may be some argument as to whether this is classified as a "job". Which I will quickly argue, that it is the most difficult job one will ever do! However, sadly this job does not pay in any way (unless you count hugs and kisses).

So how does one use math when he/she is a stay at home parent? In a lot of ways!

Here's just a few ways:

* Time management - if you need to get anywhere at a certain time, you better plan ahead and take into account you need to get more than just yourself out the door, dressed and looking somewhat presentable. Keep an eye on the clock and ALWAYS aim to leave a bit earlier.

* Scheduling- Being a teacher, maybe the idea of scheduling is ingrained in me, but I find that a child and parent who maintain a consistent schedule will have a happier day. This may not be necessary for everyone, but in my case if you want to maintain your sanity you need to set up some sort of routine. There is always occasions that you need to be flexible but I have found that my son has adapted really well to nursery school because he loves the structured routine.

* Budgeting - This is a biggie. If you are a stay at home parent, you are likely not bringing in a steady income. You need to be aware of each penny you spend and where it goes. With a new year upon us, and me still being on mat leave, budgeting has become a very important topic in our house. 

I came across this printable budget binder from Thirty Handmade Days, and I will definitely be giving it a try, as I need to be more accountable for where our money goes, how much goes where, and how much is being saved. 

I think budgeting is such a vital skill and something that we should be teaching our students whenever possible. I know there are so many kids out there that graduate and are in for a rude awakening once they have to start paying for things like rent, bills, gas, and even tuition! Let's face it, once you end up in debt it can be a real struggle to get back out of it.

If you want to get your students to see what's ahead for them in the real world, check out my "Surviving on a Salary" project. It can also be found in my "In my Dreams" Bundle.

Time for some New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year, time to set some resolutions for yourself. How are you going to improve your life to make 2015 the best it can be?

Here's a few things I hope to accomplish this year:
-Eat healthier and get more exercise (like I've never said that before)
-Have a few more date nights with the hubby

-Get a blog makeover and blog more regularly

-Complete the growing amount of half done TpT products I have sitting on my computer
-Get more organized!!!! My "office" is currently on top of my craft table. I really need to separate the two.
-Start planning for my return to work. September 2015 is going to come all too soon. It will be a new school year but also a brand new grade for me!

Do you talk about resolutions with your students when you go back in the New Year?

If not, I find it to be a great way to ease back into routine without overwhelming the students the first day back. Makes for a pretty easy, yet beneficial activity. I find that they are a little more willing to set resolutions, than the more common "goals", especially after a 2 week break!

Here are a few freebies you might want to try out...

...and if you are looking for something geared specifically towards math, check out "My New Year's Math Resolutions". It's a great way for students to reflect on their math learning. This activity is also part of my "Math Portfolio Pack".

Have a great first week back!

Currently January 2015

Happy New Year!
I hope everyone enjoyed a festive New Year's Eve! Our's was pretty low key, as my oldest came down with a fever the night before, and our plans were cancelled. Fortunately he is back to himself this morning and my littlest is sleeping.
Now that I have a moment to myself, it seemed like a nice time to link up with Farley's Currently party over at Oh Boy 4th Grade.

I hope your holidays were merry and bright, and that the new year holds new adventures for you!

iHeart Math Holiday Hop

Note - Use this image to help you "hop" around. The advent calendar has a link to each day of the month, HOWEVER, just like a real advent calendar, the posts do not "unlock" until 9 pm EST the night before the calendar date.

I am so excited to be joining in with this amazing group of math bloggers to bring you a few stocking stuffers and gifts for the holidays. I hope you have been enjoying the "iHeart Math Holiday Hop" so far. If this is your first time reading about it, make sure to go back up to the top of this post and check out the previous 15 days for some amazing ideas and freebies from your favourite Math teacher-authors!

Stocking Stuffer #1 - Giving Back

I am always finding different ways to give back, especially around the holidays. I make it a big deal in my classroom, and really emphasize the importance of empathy to my students. In today's world it is so easy to lose track of how fortunate we really are, especially for teenagers!

The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.  – Kalu Kalu

As some of you know, I am not in the classroom this year as I am enjoying my maternity leave with my sons. So, I wasn't in a position to organise anything at school. That doesn't mean I wasn't going to find a way to give back..while instilling a sense of empathy in my 3 year old son as well. He helped me organize two boxes of gifts for "Operation Christmas Child", he donated his boots and snow pants that no longer fit to "Koats 4 Kids", and we also collected hamper items for the "Christmas Cheer Board". 

Stocking Stuffer #2 - Holiday Math Tip

The holidays are all the students are talking about this week, so use that to your advantage. Bring in some flyers and have students make a wish list of items they would love to receive. Once they have compiled their wish list have them calculate just how much their parents will have to spend, including tax, to make their dreams come true!
To add a little more excitement, and math, the next day tell them that all the items have been marked down for a final pre-Christmas sale! They need to re-calculate the cost with the new discount. I randomly have students pick a task tag, then assign a value to the color card they picked. I always get a kick out of how excited the kids get who end up with the biggest discount.

When the students come back from their holidays, have them write about their experiences in their math journal, the only catch is that they have to include as many numbers in their journal entry as possible! Call it "My Holiday in Numbers"!



...and finally, a little something from me to you. Click on the present below to "open" it! Enjoy!

Hopefully my gift will help keep your students engaged in math class these last few days.

Blair at One Lesson at a Time is the next stop on the hop! Make sure to check out what goodies she has for you tomorrow!

Happy Holidays!